Politics of Alaska

Although in its early years of statehood, Alaska was a Democratic state, since the early 1970s it has been characterized as Republican-leaning.[2] Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights. Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the Native corporations. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship. The state has an independence movement favoring a vote on secession from the United States, with the Alaskan Independence Party, but its membership has shrunk in recent decades (to 18,725 as of 2022).[3][4]

United States presidential election results for Alaska[1]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 189,951 52.83% 153,778 42.77% 15,801 4.39%
2016 163,387 51.28% 116,454 36.55% 38,767 12.17%
2012 164,676 54.80% 122,640 40.81% 13,179 4.39%
2008 193,841 59.42% 123,594 37.89% 8,762 2.69%
2004 190,889 61.07% 111,025 35.52% 10,684 3.42%
2000 167,398 58.62% 79,004 27.67% 39,158 13.71%
1996 122,746 50.80% 80,380 33.27% 38,494 15.93%
1992 102,000 39.46% 78,294 30.29% 78,212 30.26%
1988 119,251 59.59% 72,584 36.27% 8,281 4.14%
1984 138,377 66.65% 62,007 29.87% 7,221 3.48%
1980 86,112 54.35% 41,842 26.41% 30,491 19.24%
1976 71,555 57.90% 44,058 35.65% 7,961 6.44%
1972 55,349 58.13% 32,967 34.62% 6,903 7.25%
1968 37,600 45.28% 35,411 42.65% 10,024 12.07%
1964 22,930 34.09% 44,329 65.91% 0 0.00%
1960 30,953 50.94% 29,809 49.06% 0 0.00%

Alaska regularly supports Republicans in presidential elections and has done so since statehood. Republicans have won the state's electoral college votes in every election except Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 landslide. No state has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate fewer times. The 1960 and 1968 elections were close, however, since 1972, Republicans have consistently carried the state by large margins. However, in 2012 and 2020, Democrats obtained over 40% of the vote in the state for the first time since the 1960s.

The communities of Juneau, Sitka, downtown and midtown Anchorage, the areas surrounding the college/University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and Ester and the "Alaska Bush" – rural, sparsely populated Alaska – stand out as Democratic strongholds, while the Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna Valley, parts of Anchorage, and Fairbanks (including North Pole and Eielson Air Force Base), Ketchikan, Wrangell, and Petersburg serve as the Republican Party electoral base. Over half of all registered voters have chosen "Non-Partisan" or "Undeclared" as their affiliation.[5]

State politics

The Alaska Legislature consists of a 20-member Senate serving 4-year terms and a 40-member House of Representatives serving 2-year terms. Since 1994, it has been dominated by conservatives, generally Republicans, however, coalition governments are common, and both chambers are currently governed by one. Likewise, recent state governors have been mostly conservatives, although not always elected under the Republican Party banner. Six Republicans and four Democrats have served as governor of Alaska. In addition, Republican governor Wally Hickel was elected to the office for a second term in 1990 after leaving the Republican party and briefly joining the Alaskan Independence Party ticket just long enough to be reelected. He officially rejoined the Republican party in 1994. Independent Bill Walker also served as Governor after winning the 2014 election.

Recent and ongoing U.S. Justice Department probes continue into Alaskan politics. Stevens, who had served since 1968, was caught up in a larger probe that included Federal Bureau of Investigation raids in the summer of 2007 at the offices of six Alaska legislators, including Stevens' son, Ben, who was then the president of the state Senate, and a raid on Senator Ted Stevens' personal home.[6] Stevens drew the FBI and Justice Department attention over his home renovation project done in 2000, which more than doubled the size of his home. Bill Allen, founder of VECO Corporation, an oil supplying and engineering company, oversaw the work at Senator Steven's home. Bill Allen has since pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska state legislators. Alaska lawmakers went as far as embroidering ball caps with the letters CBC, for "Corrupt Bastards Club". The Washington Post describes more into the political scandals with its article entitled "I'll sell my soul to the Devil" from a tape quote from Pete Kott, former Republican speaker of the Alaskan legislature.[7] On October 27, 2008, Stevens was convicted on seven counts of making false statements. His conviction was reversed,[8] six months after he lost the election to the Democrat, because of misconduct by prosecutors, which included withholding and falsifying evidence.[9]

Federal politics

Alaska's current delegation to the United States Congress consists of two Republican Senators and one Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Because of its population relative to other U.S. states, Alaska has only one member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Its sole congressional district is currently the world's second-largest legislative constituency by area, behind only the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat was left vacant following the death of Republican Don Young in March 2022. Later that year, Democrat Mary Peltola was elected to serve the remainder of Young's term, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since 1972, and the first Alaskan Native to be elected to the United States Congress in history.

Representative Young was in his 25th consecutive House term at the time of his death, and his seniority made him an influential Republican House member. His position on the House Transportation Committee allowed him to parlay some $450 million to the proposed Knik Arm Bridge and the proposed Gravina Island Bridge which was derided as a "bridge to nowhere".[10] As a result, Congress removed the federal earmark for the bridge in 2005.[11]

Republicans Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski represent Alaska in the United States Senate. Sullivan has held the state's Class 2 Senate seat since 2015, and Murkowski has held its Class 3 seat since 2002. Notably, Murkowski was re-elected in 2010 in a write-in campaign, after losing the Republican primary to Tea Party-backed challenger Joe Miller. The campaign made national headlines, and Murkowski became the first Senator to be elected in a write-in campaign since Strom Thurmond of South Carolina in 1954.

Alaska is part of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Parties and registration

Recognized political parties

Party registration
Party registration as of September 2023[12]
Party Total voters Percentage
Unaffiliated 352,203 58.69%
Republican 142,328 23.72%
Democratic 74,923 12.48%
Alaskan Independence 18,911 3.15%
Other political groups 11,765 1.96%
Total 600,130 100.00%

Unique features
See also: Cannabis in Alaska and Ravin v. State

Alaska was formerly the only state in which possession of thirty ounces or less of marijuana in one's home was completely legal under state law, though the federal law remains in force.[13] Alaska's appeals court ruled in 2003 that Alaska's constitutional guarantee of privacy took precedence over any attempts at marijuana prohibition, overruling a 1990 voter initiative that criminalized possession of all amounts of the drug. The court ruled that voters, who approved the criminalization measure, did not have authority to change the state constitution protecting one's privacy.[14]

Alaska is also unusual in that it does not have counties. Instead, it is divided into boroughs in some of the more populated areas, but nearly half the state is in the Unorganized Borough and has no local government or services other than town or village councils. The Unorganized Borough, however, does include some major population centers such as Nome and Bethel.

See also

    References
    1. Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Alaska". US Election Atlas. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
    2. "National Journal Alaska State Profile". Election.nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
    3. "Alaska Division of Elections". www.elections.alaska.gov.
    4. "Questions And Answers—About Alaskan Independence". Alaskan Independence Party. 2006. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
    5. "Alaska Voter Registration". elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
    6. "Adn.com | Alaska political corruption : Federal agents raid Sen. Ted Stevens' Girdwood home". Archived from the original on 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2007-07-31. | Federal agents raid Sen. Ted Stevens' Girdwood home
    7. Vick, Karl. "I'll Sell My Soul to the Devil". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
    8. Washington Post, 8 April 2009, "Judge Orders Probe of Attorneys in Stevens Case"
    9. "Report: Prosecutors Hid Evidence in Ted Stevens Case". NPR.
    10. "Alaska: End Sought For 'Bridge To Nowhere'". The New York Times. 2007-09-22.
    11. Hulse, Carl (2005-11-17). "Two 'Bridges to Nowhere' Tumble Down in Congress". The New York Times.
    12. "Alaska Division of Elections". www.elections.alaska.gov. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
    13. Volz, Matt (July 11, 2006). "Judge rules against Alaska marijuana law". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
    14. Noy v. Alaska, 83 P.3d 538, 543 (2003).
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